Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-12-11
Old POINT.
Military Changes at the FOrt-Im.
provemenfs mt the Hygeia-
Personal.

[Corrsspon ieace Of the Richmond Dispatch.l
FORTRESS MONROE, Dec. 10, 1887.
There has been quite lively time in
the garrison during the past week, occa-
casioned by the arrival of Battery /, Sc
cond artillery, from New Orleans on
Monday evening by a special train on
the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad. They
were ordered here to relieve Battery X,
Of the same regiment, which has been
stationed here ever since the Artillery
School was established in 1868. Captain
William p. Vase come up with his bat
terry, but Captain j. II. Calef, command
ing Battey X, has been retained here at
the request of the commanding officer
until the class now on duty COM
plete their course of studies, which
will be about the LIST of May.
Battery X left here on the $40 ?. NJ.
train on the Chesapeake and Ohio rail
road Wednesday, in charge of Lieutenant
Richmond p. Davis. who had come up
from New Orleans for this purpose. The
troops marched out of the fort at 2 Z.
NJ, headed by the band, and marched to
the depot, where large party of their
friends had congregated to see them off.
1t reminded one forcibly of the departure
of some favorite company for the front
some twenty-five years ago. There are
two other batteries-I, of the Fourth,
and G, of the First, which have been
here over fifteen years, and will no doubt
DO traneforred in the near future.
Major Lawrence S. Babbitt, Ordnance
4. l. IN ND Of q
arsenal here for the past eight years, has
been ordered to duty at San Antonio
as chief ordnance officer of the depart
ment, and left last week for his new sta
ton. His relief, Major Isaac Arnold,
Jr., arrived here with his family from
San Antonio, and has assumed charge of
the arsenal.
The Government has recently intro
duced a system of paying off the troops
monthly instead of every two months,
as was formerly the custom, and the boys
rather like it. For this purpose Major
w. b. Tucker arrived from Washington
on Tuesday morning and paid off the
troops for November
Tie Hygeia Hotel is now in the hands
of the painters and upholsterers, and is
rapidly being put in order for the spring
! trade. which promises to be even larger
than usual. MIR. Pike, the manager, has
lust returned from New York with
enough new carpet to reach from here to
Hampton, and the pavilion is being
utilized as a workshop to put 1t In shape
| for use.
The engineers department have re-
Gently widened the street from the hotel
to the ordnance machines shops, and are
now covering the roadway with heavy
coating of oyster shells to Mill-Creek
bridge.
The officers and ladies of the garrison
during the interim between the gay sea-
sons have had to fall back upon then
own resources for amusement. Captain
S. NJ. Mills, Fifth artillery, has con-
tributed two very interesting lectures
thus far upon q trip he made to India
about one year ago to witness the ma
noeuyres of the British forces at Bombay.
/ Captain Mills is q close student, and evil
dently travelled with his eyes open and
notebook in hand. His description Of
the field operations was highly inter
esting from a military point of view,
while his pen sketches of the different
cities, temples, &c, in that far-of coun-
try delighted his audiences.
Lieutenant T.. NJ. Weaver, Jr., Second
artillery. left on Tuesday evening fol-
New York 10 deliver lecture before the
Military Service Institute, at Governor
island, on the subject OF "Seacoast De-
fences" He is attached TO the artillery
school for instruction, and is one Of the
bright young men of the class.
The Secretary OF War has recently
decided TO send the batteries OF artillery
stationed at Washington Barracks and
Fort McHenry h this port during tue
coming summer for target practice.
For this purpose two batteries will
probably be sent at one time and remain
about two weeks. There is no suitable
range at Fort McHenry, and no guns at
all mounted at the Washington Barracks.
Mrs. Lieutenant w. Is. Dunn has re-
turned home from months visit to her
parents in New Orleans.
Mrs. Major Arnold and family have
gone 10 New York to spend the holidays
with her parents.
Lieutenant John A. Lakewood, Seven
tenth United States infantry, is visiting
his sister Mrs. Captain Booth.
Colonel George Booker, postmaster,
has been confined TO his quarters for
several days by his old wounds received
at Gettsburg reopening. He is now i'm
proving, but has to use clutches to as
sist locomotion. BoDELL.